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book reviews |
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Multi-volume, multi-genre author Rhani D’Chae introduces us to her lovely contemporary romance about a couple of BFFs One Dyke Cozy: People come into our lives for a day, a season, or a reason... "Shy taught me to fight like a champion, love like a poet, & live like it was my last day on earth." One Dyke Cozy touches on the lives of two girls, Gabby and Shy, from their first meeting as children to Shy's untimely death. This novel contains profanity and adult situations.  I am learning more and more how much I enjoy romance stories. I find I am rather surprised, since I have been a hardcore fan of sci-fi and fantasy for so many years. This story is perfectly balanced sweetness for me. It comes across as so vivid, partly because it’s written in first person POV, a writing style I happen to enjoy a good deal because of the intimacy it offers when done well. Rhani has done a great job in this book! I really like the cover also, it illustrates the story to a tee. The scene-setting is concise and very appropriate, the adult situations are handled skillfully without ignoring the seamy sides that do exist in real life. The characters grow and develop very nicely through all stages of life. The dialogue is downright funny at times, as these two friends banter back and forth. This is such a well written book, I give it a score of 4.8 stars.  You can buy this book: https://www.amazon.com/-one-dyke-cozy https://www.goodreads.com/-one-dyke-cozy You can follow Rhani D’Chae: https://twitter.com/rhanidchae https://rhanidchae.wordpress.com/ Tags: LGBT, contemporary romance Copyright © 2018 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introduction
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Published by Robert D. Reed Publishers, Bandon, OR Multi-volume author Father Harry introduces us to his memoir of working for peace in many areas of the world for almost 50 years: A True Story of the Ongoing Struggle for Peace and Justice in Our Violent World • By Father Harry J. Bury, Ph.D., A Priest, Professor, Political Activist, Steward for Peace • This is the story of one man’s unique journey around the world, in the name of human connection, peace, and active nonviolence. Father Harry J. Bury is a Catholic priest unlike any you have ever met. His travels through Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Costa Rica, Philippines, Africa, Palestine and Israel, span over 60 years. His life-long dedication: to interact lovingly with citizens of the world in pursuit of peace and nonviolence. His determination to help his fellow human beings put him in sometimes compromising and often dangerous situations with American law enforcement, foreign governments, and the church alike. He was: •Kidnapped at gunpoint in Gaza, •Arrested at the Pentagon, •Chained to the gates of the American Embassy in Saigon, •Participated in the release of American POWs in Vietnam, •Served at the side of Mother Teresa in Calcutta, •Arrested by Swiss Guards for saying Mass on the steps of the Basilica of St. Peter in Rome, and •Awarded the Key to Ho Chi Minh City in gratitude for his efforts to end the war. About the Author: Harry J. Bury, Ph.D. is an American Roman Catholic priest and Professor Emeritus of Organizational Behavior and Administration from Case Western Reserve University. He taught at Baldwin Wallace University from 1980–2010 and consulted in the U.S. and numerous other countries.  Father Harry is a fascinating person. His personal efforts to find nonviolent means to end wars are quite amazing. We get to walk right beside him as he recounts his efforts to bring peace to parts of the world that are torn apart by war. His story is interesting and his place in history is secure for a long time. Since I have lived through the times of these historical events, I found his inside point of view quite thought-provoking. I may not agree with all of his politics, but I cannot fault his desire to serve God the best way he knows how. He tells his story from his point of view in the present tense, so his involvement in these historical events really comes alive. I enjoyed reading this Maverick Priest and award 4.5 stars, the score would have been higher except for the handful of spelling errors I found.  You can buy this book:
https://rdrpublishers.com/maverick-priest-a-story-of-life-on-the-edge https://www.amazon.com/maverick-priest https://www.goodreads.com/-maverick-priest You can follow Father Harry: http://www.harryjbury.com/HarryJBury/Welcome.html Tags: religious memoir, historical memoir Copyright © 2018 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introduction Debut author, River Wild, introduces us to his first novel, a sweet romance, The Artist’s Special Touch: On the last day of school, young Jackson Henderson makes a discovery that will forever change his life. Hannah Davis is trying to start fresh in a new town after suffering a terrible loss. A chance meeting on a very special night brings these two together into a swirling romance that takes them both by storm. As their love grows, they make a promise to each other to always find a way to be together no matter what happens. When tragedy strikes, can they keep that promise?  This contemporary romance really strikes a chord with me. I love the setting of Folly Island, South Carolina, on the coast near Charleston. It reminds me of some of the beaches in Oregon. I so appreciated this tale of young love and transcendent love, they are two different things. There is a great deal I really enjoyed about this story, the pacing, dialogue, and action stand out and are well balanced. The writing appears simple, but is actually quite rich, and I found myself deeply involved in the story, over and over again. The settings were perfectly staged, the descriptions seemed quite alive in my mind. The heart-touching ending brought more than a couple of tears to my eyes. I give this debut novel a score of 4.8 stars; the score would have been higher except for the handful of spelling and punctuation issues which have been corrected. So, your reading experience will be all the smoother.  This is a photograph of Folly Beach Pier. The author has chosen it to represent himself.
You can buy this book: https://www.amazon.com/-the-artists-special-touch https://www.goodreads.com/-the-artists-special-touch https://www.amazon.co.uk/Artists-Special-Touch-River-Wild-ebook You can follow River Wild: https://twitter.com/riverwildusa https://riverwildusa.com https://www.facebook.com/river.wild.1253 Tags: contemporary romance, paranormal romance Copyright © 2018 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introduction Multi-volume author, Cal Samra, introduces us to his latest book about health and humor, In Pursuit of Health: For the past 34 years, best-selling author Cal Samra, age 87, has been the editor of a national humor newsletter called The Joyful Noiseletter directed mainly to churches and health professionals. Health, physical fitness, and longevity have been the author’s longstanding interests during his years as an Associated Press and newspaper reporter, and as the lay executive director of the Huxley Institute for Biosocial Research, a medical research foundation. But he says he owes his health and longevity to the teachings of the many health pioneers, from long-ago centuries to the present, who are featured in this book. For the book, this award-winning health and humor historian researched and treaded into the history and teachings of many health pioneers down through the centuries: religious figures of all faith traditions, medical doctors, nurses, health professionals, counselors, agnostic philosophers, bodybuilders, professional athletes, dietitians, and nutritionists, and rediscovered their admonitions on health and longevity which have long since been forgotten or ignored. Starting with the Hebrew prophet Daniel (circa 620 B.C.), he then proceeded down through the centuries to Jesus, the third-century Greek physicians, the Franciscans, John Wesley, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Ellen White, Sojourner Truth, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, the Hindu Swami Vivekanada, Teddy Roosevelt, George Bernard Shaw, Catherine Doherty, Linus Pauling, Jack LaLanne, Dr. Donald L. Cooper, M.D., Dr. Rex Russell, M.D., Patch Adams, M.D., Dr. Mehmet Oz, M.D., Etta Dale Hornsteiner, professional athletes like Tom Brady, and Serena and Venus Williams, Bob Hope, and many others. All of them were extraordinary men and women from numerous faith and philosophical traditions. They were Jewish, Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Protestant, Hindu, Buddhist, Moslem, and agnostic, African-Americans, Native Americans, and Mexican Americans. Many were immigrants or the children of immigrants. Some were conservatives and some were liberals, but they all had a zest for life and a meeting of minds on living a healthy lifestyle. It is amazing how much they agreed upon. Many of these men and women regarded themselves, or were regarded, as health reformers. Their basic advice on living a healthy lifestyle was generally the same: eat fresh, natural, nutritional foods in moderation, exercise your body regularly, get sufficient sleep, keep your faith and your sense of humor, and strive to be a loving, caring, giving and forgiving person. The focus of all these health reformers was living a healthy lifestyle. Many of these health pioneers were ignorant of the work and views of their predecessors, or chose to ignore them. It is altogether human to be reluctant to give credit to individuals outside one’s own faith or philosophical tradition. But ironically, some of the research of modern science is confirming the views of these prophetic health pioneers. This book is the first book to attempt to trace the history of health pioneers, both religious and secular, down through the centuries, and to introduce them to readers. It is indexed and designed to be a resource book for medical doctors, nurses, chaplains, pastors, counselors, nutritionists, physical therapists, body-buildings, editors, comedians, clowns and anyone wishing to live a healthier and longer life. Samra pleads with religious organizations to pay more attention to the pollution of our air, water, and food supply, which is eroding the health of people and congregations. “While you are teaching people how to get to Heaven, how about teaching them healthy lifestyles to survive on this earth?” he asks. Several of the cartoons from The Joyful Noiseletter have been reprinted in this book.  I love this book. I also love what Cal is trying to do. Help people live longer and fuller lives with the aid of humor and good nutrition. What I can’t figure out is this a serious book that is funny or is it a funny book that is serious? Someone help me, please! Cal is 87, he is doing great! I am only 65, when I grow up I want to be like Cal. I have a good start, I love to laugh and like to read funny stuff, I also have been working on improving my diet for some time, and take lots of food supplements. If you are concerned about having a happy and healthful life, you can’t go wrong by getting this book and reading it very thoughtfully. I give this book 4.9 stars! The score would have been higher except for the small handful of spelling errors I found.  You can buy this book:
https://rdrpublishers.com/collections/health-and-fitness/products/in-pursuit-of-health-and-longevity-wellness-pioneers-through-the-centuries https://www.amazon.com/Pursuit-Health-Longevity https://www.goodreads.com/-in-pursuit-of-health-and-longevity You can follow Cal: http://www.joyfulnoiseletter.com Copyright © 2018 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introduction |
Who am I?An avid reader, typobuster, and the Hyper-Speller. I am a husband, father, and grandfather. Archives
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